NOT QUITE A FAIRYTALE: Action, Romance, & Comedy
by RENXANGEL
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke has escaped once again...this time, just barely. Naruto feels weak. Sakura feels pathetic. Sasuke feels threatened. Hinata still can't announce her feelings. What will happen? Only one way to find out! Only time will tell.
1. Chapter One: ONCE AND ONCE AGAIN

**NOT QUITE A FAIRYTALE**

RENXANGEL

**(Hello! This is my first time writing a Fan-Fiction! Please look kindly on me and review! I hope you'll enjoy this!)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, AND ALL THAT GOOD KUNAI-Y STUFF.**

**-CHAPTER ONE- 'ONCE AND ONCE AGAIN'**

"_Naruto…" Sasuke spat the name. "It's nice to see you again." _

"_Sasuke…" Naruto narrowed his eyes, half out of anger, half out of sadness. "Why? Why?! Why won't you come back to us? Itachi is gone…believed to be dead…so why are you still with them?" _

"_Hmph." Sasuke smirked. "Because I have no need for you soft Konoha wimps. Bring it or get out of my face." The raven-haired ex-ninja withdrew his sword. In his free hand, a lightning-like charka was sending out random flashes of light._

_The blond clenched his fist. "So you refuse to go without broken bones, huh. Fine. Have it your way." Pale blue charka started to spin and form a sphere in Naruto's right hand. _

_They flew at each other, ready to kill…and then the world turned white._

--

Naruto's clear blue eyes fluttered open and focused on the bright light suspended above his face. He was in a white room and worried eyes were looking down at him from all directions. Kakashi spoke first, of course, still wearing his trademark mask. "Glad to see you're awake, Naruto." He smiled his trademark smile.

"K-Kakashi-sensei…? Where…am I?" He struggled to get up. The pain that flew through his side jolted his memory and he suddenly remembered why he was there. "Sasuke! Sasuke is…!" Everyone in the room looked down and refused to meet Naruto's eyes.

Uchiha Sasuke, age seventeen, has yet again slipped away from the grasps of the Konoha shinobi.

"Damn it!" Naruto slammed his fist against the side of his bed. His bandaged hand began to bleed again. _Why…why am I so weak?! Is there really that big of a gap between Sasuke and I?_ He began to question his own strength. However, the reality was that Sasuke had barely escaped the jaws of the Kyuubi with his life. Naruto had gotten stronger.

"Naruto-kun…" The small voice of the gentle Hyuuga Hinata rose out of the crowd. "You…you're not weak, Naruto-kun!" She avoided his gaze but she meant the words that just came out of her mouth. Hinata had been watching Naruto for years…ever since they were genin. She admired him and did like want to see him hurting like this. _You're far from weak, Naruto-kun…you're the strongest, bravest, and kindest person I know! And I…I love you. _However, the young women with the heart of a timid girl could not gather the courage to say this…and she hadn't been able to for five years. Each day, she thought, 'Today is the day! I will confess…!' But of course, when she saw the face of the man she loved, all of her determination ebbed away only to be replaced by overwhelming shyness.

Naruto didn't respond. Hinata looked away again. Once again, her quiet voice was lost among the other noises.

This time, it was Inuzuka Kiba who broke the silence. He walked over besides Naruto and gave him a hearty slap to the back. "Eh, who needs that jerk! He ditched us for the enemy! He almost KILLED our friends!" It was true. At that moment, Lee was lying in a different room being treated for a wound that almost killed him. He had blocked a Chidori with his body in a brave attempt to protect Sakura.

Haruno Sakura rubbed the skin on her neck. A pale scar glistened in the light. Half a year ago, Sasuke raided the Leaf with his newfound crew. He had almost killed Sakura. _Why am I…feeling sorry for myself? It's Naruto who's hurting the most…_

However, tears had begun to fall from her eyes. She turned around and looked out the window. "Naruto…we will get Sasuke back." That was all she could manage to say at the moment.

"Now, now. What's with all the serious talk? Naruto has escaped death. Doesn't this call for some celebration?" Kakashi spoke in a desperate attempt to lighten up the mood. Before anyone could respond, the door slid open. A tall sculpted man in a green jumpsuit beamed his famous smile.

"My Lee has escaped the curse of time again! That's the bloom of youth for you!" He moved right into his good-guy pose. But not even this stirred any energy in the depressed crowd.

"Oh? Naruto? You're awake!" Guy chimed, obviously missing the mood that settled into this room. "This calls for some celebration!"

Kakashi sighed. _Typical Guy…he's removed all the seriousness away from the current situation._ He couldn't help but smile. But since he was wearing his mask, as always, no one seemed to notice.

Suddenly, the tan lips of a young man curled. He raised a bandaged arm and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah! You're right! Besides, being all moody and depressed doesn't really suit me!" His blond spiky hair seemed a lot brighter all of a sudden.

_Naruto-kun!_ Hinata smiled. She was relieved. _He's back to his old self again. Thank God. _

Sakura turned around with an expression of surprise on her face. "N-Naruto…" She whispered under her breath. Then, she smiled as tears trickled down her face.

Naruto looked over at Sakura and his smile lifted a little. He grinned stupidly at her and gave her the 'thumbs-up.'

"TO ICHIRAKU RAMEN!"

**(Okay, that should've left you with a lot of questions! Don't worry, they will be answered eventually if not soon!)**


	2. Chapter Two: IGNORANCE

**NOT QUITE A FAIRYTALE**

RENXANGEL

**(Because this is the first time I've ever written a Fan-Fiction, it was not surprising when I found out that I did not have any readers for the first chapter. I was a bit disappointed. But I will try harder to win your attention! BELIEVE IT!)**

**(BTW, the word/words in parantheses and in bold at the end of a paragraph is/are the translation/s for the Japanese word/words in that line.)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, AND ALL THAT GOOD KUNAI-Y STUFF.**

**-CHAPTER TWO- 'IGNORANCE'**

"Idatakimasu!" The blond-haired blue-eyed grinned as he slurped up a wad of noodles. Uzumaki Naruto has truly returned. It was night time, around seven o'clock. He was now sitting at his usual spot at the oh-so-familiar Ichiraku Ramen. Gathered around him were his friends and mentors: Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji, Might Guy, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, TenTen, Akimichi Chouji, and Inuzuka Kiba. The only ones missing from the rookies were Rock Lee, resting in the hospital, and Shino Aburame, out on a mission.

"Idatakimasu!" The crowd echoed, equally happy, and broke their chopsticks apart.

Two seats away from Naruto, Hinata sat at the seat in the left corner. The young lady had her pale hands around the steaming bowl but her attention was focused on the face of her love.

"Nee, nee!" Ino nudged her. "Atleast talk to him if you can't confess!" (**'Hey, hey!')**

When Hinata heard the word confess, she turned around suddenly to cover Ino's mouth. In doing so, her elbow caught the side of her ramen bowl and the entire bowl of soup spilled on Hinata's left hand. "Itai!" She let out a gasp and clutched her hand. By that time, every ninja nearby had turned to stare, even the old shop-keeper.

Hinata glanced worriedly at each of the staring faces before looking down at her feet. "G-Gomenasai!"She quickly left off her stool and started to scoop up the soggy noodles, still keeping her head down and her hand clutched. _This…this is so humiliating…!_ She started to worry what Naruto would think. (**'Sorry!')**

Suddenly, a tanned hand reached out grasped her wrist firmly yet gently. Hinata looked up and opened her mouth to protest, but when she met his blue eyes, she froze. The blond was kneeling so he was eye-to-eye with Hinata. Naruto wasn't looking at her face so he didn't see her blush; instead, he was carefully examining the red spot on Hinata's hand. He frowned and then looked into her eyes, worriedly. "Daijoubu?" (** 'Are you okay?/Does it hurt?')**

Hinata's face turned as red as her hand was. She quickly turned away. "Y-Yes. I'm fine." _Naruto-kun…is touching my hand. He's so kind…and warm. _She closed her eyes, afraid to look directly into his face. Naruto pulled out a roll of bandages and began to wrap her hand.

Hinata turned back to him, surprised. "N-Naruto-kun! But…but those are for your wounds!"

Naruto simply grinned. "Daijoubu! I'll be completely healed in no time!" (**'It's okay!/It's fine!')**

Hinata looked looked. _Naruto-kun…is always doing things for me. But I can't ever do anything for him!_ Her chain of thought was broken by Naruto's voice. "Hey, Hinata! Why do you never speak to my face?" He frowned. Hinata looked up, her eyebrows raised, but when she saw his face, she couldn't bear to stare, and turned her head away again. "I…I…"

"It's like you hate me or something." Naruto didn't actually mean these words, but it was the spur of the moment, and he was curious. Plus, he never actually thought before speaking. His words always came out wrong.

Tears started to gather in Hinata's eyes. "I…I…I have to go…home…now. My father…I have a curfew." She pulled her hand away from Naruto's and ran into the night, towards the Hyuuga residence.

"Wait, Hinata!" Naruto called after her but it was no use. Naruto, being none-too-bright when it came down to girls, stood up and stared after her, confused. It was an awkward silence. He scratched the back of his head and turned to Sakura. "Did I say something wrong?"

Haruno Sakura blinked her green eyes. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Baka." She turned back to her ramen and ate. Everyone else followed the same course of action and turned to their meals. All except for Neji. His snow-white eyes were focused on Naruto. _Idiot…Hinata worships you like a God!_ Neji visulized his cousin's room. It was small but cozy domicile with a comfortable bed and a writing desk that matched a chair. On one way was a calendar. The only circled dates were Hinata's own birthday and Neji's birthday. Naruto's birthdate had a heart around it. And Naruto's birth-month, the page of October, was covered stars, hearts, and every thing else cutesy-wutesy imaginable. Also, the words 'Uzumaki Naruto' were written across the page atleast a thousand times. In the deepest drawer of Hinata's desk was a small journal. It was filled with clippings of photographs of none other than the blond. Neji twitched as he thought of the thing he found most disturbing. There was a cardboard box filled with every piece of paper, pair of chopsticks, and bandages, bloody or not, given to her by Naruto.

Neji got up, eyes closed, and nonchalantly walked away from the ramen stand, in the same direction Hinata was heading it, without a word.

"Oi, Neji! Doko ikimasu ka?" A booming voice seemed to silent all of the chattering ninja. **('Hey, Neji! Where are you going?')**

Neji turned around. "Godaime?" His eyes slightly widened and seemed to ask, 'What are YOU doing away from your office? Don't you have work to do?' But as a man of few words, he answered with 'home,' and walked away.

The kunoichi with the famously large chest put her hand on her waist. "Tch! No manners. I never liked that kid anyways." Next to her was Jiraiya, followed by Shizune, and of course, TonTon. "Naruto! You decided to throw a party without inviting me?" Tsunade smirked.

"Eh?! Tsunade-obaachan?! What are you doing here?!" Naruto's jaw dropped. The attention all seemed to be drawn to the Hokage. **('Granny Tsunade?!')**

"Baka! You owe me your life!" Tsunade walked over to a table that was outside the stand and sat down across from Guy and Kakashi. It was true. Tsunade healed Naruto when he was at the brink of death. But without the Kyuubi's power, even Tsunade wouldn't have been able to save him… "Now, bring me some sake!" Jiraiya took a seat next to her and whispered to Kakashi. The aloof jounin suddenly jolted to life.

"Most people think that the series ended a year ago…but it's back with a boom!" Jiraiya snickered. His eyes arched, making him look even more like the perverted old geezer he was. "Presenting…" He reached into this pocked and pulled out a shiny, red book. "MAKE-OUT PARADISE: RED HOT SUMMERS! THE NEW SERIES!"

"EHHHHH?" Kakashi stood up, eyes wide, slamming his hands on the table. Jiraiya waved the book teasingly in front of him. Kakashi, however, lost all dignity and waved his hand around frantically, trying to grab the book. Jiraiya snickered again. "Ehehehehe! This baby doesn't hit stands until next summer! But…" Kakashi's eyebrows knitted together and his eyes saw with puppy-dog tears when he heard this.

"Since you're my number one apprentice…and you did help me in some tight situations…YOU GET A COPY, FREE-OF-CHARGE, BEFORE IT'S RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC!" Jiraiya threw the book to him and Kakashi snatched it eagerly. "BUAHAHAHAHAHA!" The white-haired old man had a foot on the table and a foot on the chair, his arms akimbo, in a very triumphant looking pose. **(AKIMBO: It's an English word that not many people know so I decided to explain it! It basically means having both hands on the waist and the elbows are positioned at ninety-degree angles.)**

Everyone else had been staring at them for a good while with beads of sweat hanging at the back of their eyes. They all sighed simultaneously.

Tsunade, with the anger mark, commonly seen in anime, on her forehead, twitched and tightened his fist.

"JIRAIYAAAAAAAAA!" She punched him so hard that he flew off in to the sky and twinkled, Team Rocket style. (**Reference from Pokemon.)**

Kakashi had his back tightly against the wall. "Heh…heh…." (**His expression:**** O.O)** He quickly pocketed the book and bowed. "I have…uh…to help at the old folks' home! Please excuse me!" He disappeared, not giving Tsunade a chance to attack.

Naruto and Sakura both blinked once and sighed, humiliated by their former jounin leader's behavior as well as the behavior of the man who held the title of 'legendary sannin.'

"He was never a very good liar…" Sakura focused on her food.

"Baka-Jiraiya…baka-Kakashi…." Naruto finished his fifth bow of ramen and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Now the pissed-off Hokage sat at the table. Guy was trembling and sweating. Tsunade noticed this.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" She shouted at him. And Guy sat up straighter out of habit. "N-Nothing Godaime-sama! SPARE ME!" He got up and ran off, disappearing into the fog.

TenTen, now the only one left of her former team there, sighed, equally embarrassed now. _If only Neji could see this. He'd probably make some smart-ass comment about it. _TenTen smiled to herself as she thought of her teammate. Her attention was then directed towards Ino and Shikamaru who were now arguing. _Neji-kun…_

"What do you mean by 'pig'? It's like you've developed a Sakura complex!" Ino yelled in Shikamaru's ear.

The lazy genius sighed. "How troublesome…I was just agreeing with Chouji! He said that your name meant 'boar' and that's true! The kanji of your name is boar!" Shikamaru looked away. _Girls._ He waved his hand, blowing away a strang smoky essence that had floated into his personal space.

Ino pursed her lips and then turned away from him with an 'hmph!' "Thanks a lot, Chouji!"

Chouji continued to snack on the chips he brought with him. "Don't CRUNCH drag me CRUNCH into this."

Inuzuka Kiba finished his second bowl and then walked up to Naruto and sat down next to him. He wiped his wet hands on his pants. "The hell? Did you pee on me, Akamaru?" The large dog woofed and shook his head, sending droplets of water flying.

"Oi, oi! Control your mutt, Kiba!" Naruto wiped his wet arm on his jacket, annoyed. He had been desperately trying to flirt with Sakura. He thought he was doing pretty well, but Sakura was ready to go home because of his terrible comments.

_Wet?_ Naruto looked at a bead of water that was on his skin. _Why is there water here? How did Akamaru get so soaked? _He touched the white fur of Kiba's dog. _And why…why the hell is the water so heavy?_

A sharp scream pierced through the night as well as several grunts.

Naruto almost fell of his stool. "No way…! H-Hinata?!" He thought he recognized the scream of the shy kunoichi. "But she went home…didn't she?" He checked the clock. _Hinata left…ten minutes ago! It's not that far to her house…!_

Tsunade got up and shouted in a demanding voice. "Everyone! Look around you!" There were surrounded in a thick, white mist.

Kiba stammered backwards. "W-What in the world?!" Akamaru growled and woofed several intimidating barks. "An…an enemy? How did we not notice this?"

Naruto's eyes widened. _The water! That's why Akamaru was wet! He raw through the fog when it was still just gathering. _He ventured forward and stepped into the fog. However, he found it amazingly hard to walked forward, he only managed two or three feet and he was forced to back out. "It's…it's too thick!" He coughed and sputtered. "If you stay in for too long…you'll suffocate!"

The pink-haired kunoichi bit her nail, thinking. "This…is an attack! There are…seventeen…eighteen…twenty ninja around us! They're closing in!"

Hearing this, everyone positioned themselves around the ramen stand in their battle stances.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru stood against the back wall, hidden in the shadows of the roof. Ino stood to his right and Chouji to his left.

Tsunade stood valiantly, arms crossed next to Shizune, who had her needles withdrawn. There were to the right of the ramen shop.

Naruto and Kiba both gritted their teeth, protecting the front. They looked ready to kill. They were both thinking the same thing. _If anyone harms Hinata…I'll hurt him tenfold! _

Ayame helped her father into the basement, a bomb shelter they had built long ago to protect themselves and their customers if Konoha should ever been in danger. The old man clambered down but Ayame was hesitant and watched all the ninja, worried for their safety. Naruto spoke. "Don't worry. Leave this to us. After all, it's our duty to protect the innocent!" He gave her a thumbs-up behind his back. "N-Naruto-kun…" Ayame was still worried, nonetheless. She bit her lip. "Okay…I'll trust you, Naruto-kun. Be safe." She climbed in and the trapdoor slammed shut.

TenTen summoned a chain and sickle and held them in hand, ready to attack. She glanced around warily. "What's the situation, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura stood behind TenTen. After a year of training, she could detect charka flow from up to a hundred feet away. She was always the perceptive and sensitive ninja of her team…the skill came to her naturally.

Her eyes flew open. "Two men! Incoming! Fast!"

**(Yes, I know. Cliff-hanger! But that's all authors get people to keep reading! Remember, reviews will only encourage me!)**


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